Posts

World's Most Contagious Falsehoods

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David McCandless through his Information is Beautiful website has added a whole page of Common MythConceptions - and I (un)learnt that: Depression = chemical imbalance Simplistic. Thank pharma for the idea that major depression is caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals like serotonin. Bananas grow on trees They actually grow on massive herbs that resemble trees. Bet you didn’t know that. We lose heat through the head Only in infants is most heat lost this way. Or if the head is the only uncovered part of the body. Fishy 3-sec memory While not the smartest, goldfish boast a memory span of 3 months – better than most politicians. Glass is a liquid Actually an ‘amorphous solid’. ‘But that's why stained-glass windows are thicker at the bottom.’ Nope. It’s just badly made glass. Sugar = hyperactivity Studies have disproved this. ADHD and poor behaviours still occurs in children with sugar-free diets. [also: QI S7E9 - Myth Of Sugary Foods/Drinks Effect On Children Exposed! ]  Shavin...
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Wraith, We Have Been Warned

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A cutting-edge thriller about an Artificial Intelligence takeover, written in consultation with leading AI and cybersecurity experts. During a routine overnight update at the headquarters of a major UK telecoms giant, two IT workers unknowingly set something terrifying in motion. They've started an LCE - an AI Loss of Control Event. Over the course of one night, a handful of staff race to regain control as forces far beyond the building begin to close in. What’s been unleashed threatens to change everything — and soon there may be no way to put it back. This is a very a real and disastrous phenomenon, and it could happen to us very soon. Wraith , a 4 episode BBC radio drama / podcast, is most excellent and, god forbid, could end up becoming a warning documentary within a year or so. It's fascinating to see how the AI uses all of its capabilities, deep fakes, connections, and even conspiracy-laden minds of people. None of it is currently brought together in a c...
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Why Devices Sometimes Feel "Buzzy"

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Oh wow, I've always wondered what that feeling was and here is Professor Hannah Fry explaining it all. 28 May 2026 You can feel it on other people's skin too!  If they hold a charging phone or tablet while sitting on a bed or somewhere with their feet off the ground (so they aren't themselves grounded) and you keep your feet on the ground and gently stroke their skin with your finger - you will feel them "buzzing"  (as long as you're both sweaty enough of course...)
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Shortverse And It's Twenty Thousand Short Films

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On Shortverse you can watch any of the 24,411 short films for free (once you create an account), as uploaded by filmmakers and all discoverable by genre, length, technique, topics, age rating, and even by short film festival. How about an 18 minute comedy / fantasy short movie,  Felix the Fox and the Enchanted Forest , perhaps.  by Teddy Young, 6 May 2024 Join Felix and Harold as they try to con their way out of the only thing they never wanted – adventure. No, not for you, well how about an experimental AI generated horror movie,  WORM ? by Gregory Foltynowicz, 17 February 2026 A surrealist body-horror short that stages intimacy as a fight for agency, where dominance and resistance collide and give birth to the consequences of unchecked power. Ok, ok, there are lovely family movies as well, give the 5 minute  DUCKS a go, you'll love it. by AJ Jefferies, 12 March 2025 A perfectly normal day in the park No - well sign up and have a look yourself, you will ...
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Train, Why It's The Only Way To Truly Travel

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A comfy chair, a large window, a table, a book, a charger, and the countryside rushing past. AND, nothing to do, no-one to hassle you, no cares as you can't do anything about any of the problems of the world because you're ensconced on a train. There is no finer way to travel, train! I adore train travel ... just in case you weren't getting it. Sea-hugging railways and magical views: five of Europe’s best coastal train lines by Nicky Gardner, 25 May 2026 1: Scotland: from coast to coast Route: Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh Which side should I sit? The right initially, then switch to left 2: Ireland: from Dublin to Wicklow Route: Dublin Connolly to Arklow Which side? Sit on the left 3: Germany: over the sea to the island of Sylt Route: Husum to Keitum Which side? Sit on the left 4: Spain: Galicia’s spectacular fjords Route: Ribadeo to Ferrol Which side? Sit on the right 5: Italy: Along the Calabrian coast Route: Reggio di Calabria to Soverato Which side? Sit on th...
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Cooked, The Best Recipes App

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I am a cook, not a chef. A cook needs a recipe, all the ingredients, and a good clean run at it in the kitchen without anyone giving advice. A chef can fling open a cupboard, scan what's available, and announce what they will be creating for dinner. I'm a cook, not a chef. Over the years I have collected recipes in many formats, scraps of paper, books, electronic notes, links to websites, and even YouTube videos. Everywhere and anywhere - not my favourite way to keep info. During lockdown, or maybe just after, I stumbled upon* Cooked.wiki At the time it was a hobby site from Eduardo Gonçalves , a software engineer, entrepreneur, and teacher from Lisbon. I believe it was Eduardo's attempt to learn how to code with AI and boy was it useful! It's still run by Eduardo but it's now a fully fledged website with excellent mobile apps AND it's ad-free and hosted in Europe which I adore , of course. Like a million other recipe sites/apps it organises, displays, and...
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A Note About Those AI Generated "Greens NZ" Images

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Yesterday I had a post go live with, I had hoped, a few messages about the Greens NZ policies and why everyone should give them a few moments about how it can positively affect them, the "hard-working Kiwi". I know that images always hit home quicker than just words, we are a visual animal and it's always best to have images alongside words ... in fact, a kitten looking down to the left is guaranteed to get some attention (a Webstock presenter proved that many moons ago). After writing the words, and by fuck it was a long time coming with many drafts and getting the bloody stats etc etc, I dropped a bunch of Google Gemini created images in to spruce it all up. Think of the images as pithy summaries and wallpaper. Unfortunately my use of "AI" to create the 'throw-away' images became the focus of some very passionate people, the words themselves faded into the background as the use of "AI" became the point of discussion. Bugger. I have learnt a ...
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The Grounds For Voting Green

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UPDATED 20th July, 2026: "AI" generated images replaced, see A Note About Those AI Generated "Greens NZ" Images I'm a Greens NZ voter, have been for quite a long time. I like their people, policies, and process. I have voted for other parties, sometimes for a very specific policy, and even once because I really liked the person which, according to most political pundits, is actually how most people vote - people they recognise and know wearing the colours they associate with. On some social media thingy (Mastodon via CloudIslandNZ I think), I read the following article and it got me thinking, what is it about the Green NZ policies that everyday New Zealanders would / should / could think about. Just saying, "Vote Green", for most people is a big turn off as it, well, it just doesn't ask that glorious question , why? The case for voting Green I’m not a member of the Green Party, but they're getting my vote. Here’s why. by Simon Wilson, Jun ...
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Recycling That Pays

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We recently had a few items to dispose of, a few cans and maybe a bottle or two. Whilst in Alice Springs we looked around for the recycling bins, you know the type, but discovered something even better, the most awesome Envirobank ( https://envirobank.com.au/ ) Instead of just chucking it all into bins (to hear the satisfying smash of bottles btf) you pop them through the hole onto the wee conveyor belt that scans the barcode and, beep, 10c is given to you as it takes away the evidence of your alcoholic shenanigans. Beep, 10c Beep, 10c Beep, 10c And on it went ... we made quite a bit on that visit :)
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A School Holiday That Nearly Broke Us - Photos

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[click/tap the photos to open each album] A mid-year school holiday is a joy to behold, 3 whole weeks off, and having seen how hard teachers work (especially in remote Australian communities) I will fight anyone that moans about it from afar. Getting out of Papunya is a priority, there's just not a lot to do here and after a while one can go a tad stir crazy and so we had pre-booked a few get aways. We had a mate from Waitārere Beach come over for a week and, whilst we based ourselves in Alice Springs , we did manage to pop back home well as visit the Ochre Pits  - having said that there was a lot of drinking  and eating . During the Friday rain our mate witnessed the Todd River dribble back, and we trudged around the mud of the 2026 Alice Springs Show - loved the cakes and vegetable winners. Our final week saw us in Brisbane for the Wallabies v France game but not before we took in the Friday night cabaret with  Blanc de Blanc Encore  a five-star, adults-o...
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Maybe Your Flight May Go There, Maybe

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Delightfully vague and yet, I imagine, important notice from Qantas when you're booking and paying for an actual flight. We will do our best to get you where you want to be on time, but we don't guarantee flight times or schedules and they aren't part of our contract with you.
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My Leg Lump Has Gone

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For most of my adult life I have had a small, raised, and darker coloured bump on my right calf. Identified by a doctor as an insect bite that I had maybe scratched and got a wee bit infected at the time, but certainly nothing to worry about. I noticed recently that the bump has gone completely, just a little bit of discoloration left. Weird eh!
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The Tracks To Train Weirdness

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Everyone I know is fully aware of Quentin and his I'm A Train  video which, I thought, was a song he had composed and sung. Turns out the road to this visual bemusement is not quite so simple. We start with the original, written and composed by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood . It was first recorded in French, in 1967, by Les Troubadours as "La chaîne". The first English version was recorded in 1968 by a UK group called Colors of Love, which included singer Elaine Paige. Hammond's own version, released in 1974, was the first one to chart.  I'd never heard of Albert Hammond OBE before but his compositions have most certainly been a part of my growing up: Hammond wrote commercially successful singles for singers Celine Dion, Joe Dolan, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Leo Sayer, Tina Turner, Glen Campbell, Julio Iglesias, Willie Nelson, Lynn Anderson and Bonnie Tyler, and bands Ace of Base, Air Supply, Blue Mink, Chicago, Heart, Living in a Box, the...
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Alice Springs Show - A Wet 2nd Day

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Due to circumstances involving drinking and shenanigans the evening before we decided to go to the Saturday Alice Springs Show day, this even though we knew it might (definitely would) rain. It rained all night, and was still chucking it down when we got in the car, "Ach, fuck it, let's just go eh." We trudged around the cold outside - one of us in a white summery dress and jandals / thongs / flip-flops, LOL. Plenty inside the show sheds though and I just loved the classic "top vegetables", and, "winning cakes". Enjoy the whole photo album :)
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Ask Why, And Keep Asking

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I think I've written about "why" and asking it multiple times before ... hold on, let me go have a look ... yup, here , here , here , and here . Asking 5 "whys" is the finest approach at getting to the true heart of anything. With each "why" you will drop through the levels of fog, honing in with each stage to the true issue lying underneath the surface / visible comments. In my experience you will find you're discussing emotions anywhere after the 2nd or 3rd "why?", and the more you ask the more raw and core to the person will be the replies, be aware of where you want to go and what you are willing to handle as not everything needs to become a discussion on personal childhood trauma. I find 2, maybe 3, is all you really need at work to uncover the real reasons for someone's thinking on a subject. Five whys (or 5 whys) is an iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular p...
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What It Means To Speak Your Own Language

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Yes. Surely, yes. Our wairua exists beyond death. And our reo never fully died, despite sanctioned strategies to rip up the land and scorch the seeds of language and connection. All cruelty comes from weakness. But we are a strong people. And because of resistance, persistence, and courage, our language is being cultivated again, sown even stronger, nourishing more and more every day. Author: Natasha Lampard (Whakatōhea, Ngāpuhi, Pākehā) is the co-founder and director of Webstock, co-founder of Lil Regie and creator of Extraordinary Tales of Strength & Daring. She completed an MA in Creative Writing at Te Pūtahu Tuhi Auaha o te Ao, IIML. source: Natasha Lampard 2022 – TURBINE | KAPOHAU   Despite the current National + ACT + NZ First coalition government's quick, persistent, and ongoing attacks on Māori via their language te reo is never going away. Government agencies, companies, the general hoi polloi are all becoming well versed in hearing te reo, using te reo, and expec...
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Shout At The TV When Watching Sport

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Shouting, cheering, yahooing, and generally barracking for your team whilst watching the game on TV is not only allowed, it's mandatory :) and it is a primal, subconscious reaction driven by mirror neurons firing in your brain, an emotional need to release adrenaline, and a desire to feel connected to the game. Your brain has a network of mirror neurons that fire both when you perform an action and when you watch someone else do it and so, when you see your team make a break for the try line, your brain simulates the experience, causing your muscles to tense and triggering an urge to physically react or shout. As I wrote back in 2003 there is a huge "we" phenomenon where sports fans psychologically project themselves onto the field, often referring to their favorite team as “we” and are so deeply invested in the outcome that our brains experience the highs and lows as if we are playing. Yelling at/with the TV is also an involuntary, cathartic release of that nervous...
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A Brief Update On My Removal Of US Tech

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A mate pinged me saying that the Nothing phones are pretty good, so I will be checking that out later this year or next depending upon when they release the next top level device. In the meantime I have been working through the list from my last update : Google Maps, giving    Organic Maps a go Google One, uninstalled Google Passwords PhotoScan, uninstalled Google Clock to Fossify Clock (beta) Google Recorder,  uninstalled Snapseed, uninstalled Google Weather Organic Maps is pretty good once you've downloaded the parts of the world you're interested in. It's not quite as feature rich or dynamic / up to date as Google Maps but that's one of the reasons I want to get off US technology, so they don't have all my data. I am still using Google Maps, especially in the car as the options are only iCar (or whatever it's called) and Android Auto. Fossify Clock is grand, does clock stuff. Would like a widget that shows the time in all the cities I have listed, that w...
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The Full Monty = Six Naked Pigs

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English movie titles get changed when they're shown in non-English speaking countries, sometimes with brilliant results. Enjoy the twenty and I hope they are real. The Full Monty = Six Naked Pigs (China) The Devil Wears Prada 2 = The Woman Who Loves Luxury Goods 2 (Vietnam) Bad Santa = Santa Is a Pervert (Czech Republic) Annie Hall = The Urban Neurotic (Germany) Die Hard With a Vengeance = Die Slowly, Now More Than Ever (Germany) Deep Impact = Heaven and Earth Great Collision (China) Knocked Up = One Night, Big Belly (China) /  The Date That Screwed Me (Israel) Pretty Woman = I Will Marry a Prostitute to Save Money (China) Thelma and Louise =  An Unexpected Ending (Mexico) La Vie d’Adèle =  Blue Is the Warmest Colour Show Me Love (Sweden) =  Fucking Åmål Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind =  Forget about me! (Spain) /  If You Leave Me, I'll Erase You (Italy) Silver Linings Playbook =  Happiness Therapy (France) /  My Boyfriend Is ...
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Popular articles

W. C. Fields quotes

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The office has all been moved around - new desks (with starter handles to raise and lower them), new high(er) speed network and ... the same old work. At least I have a differing view of the world, my team (well, the team I'm a part of not "my" team) is a lot closer - finally - and it's like an office from the 80's ... or even a classroom. But I still have time to move the crap off the PC : ------ Any man who hates dogs and loves whiskey can't be all bad. Anyone who hates Dogs and Kids Can't be All Bad. Hey! Who took the cork off my lunch??! Who stole the cork from my breakfast? Now don't say you can't swear off drinking, it's easy. I've done it a thousand times. Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people. If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again. Then quit, no use being a damn fool about things. Madam, there's no such thing as a tough child - if you parboil them first for seven hours, they alwa...

Dunning-Kruger Effect Memes And Cartoons

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The Dunning-Kruger effect : when people overestimate their skills because they don't know enough to see their own lack of knowledge or ability. I have trawled the Web finding the finest of funnies, by all means share them when you feel the need.

Rugby World Cup 2011 Fixture iCal Calendar

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2026/7 UPDATE: You'll be looking for this I imagine: Rugby World Cup 2027 Fixture iCal Calendar The calendar has now morphed into the ongoing International Rugby Fixtures iCal Calendar ...

Wraith, We Have Been Warned

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A cutting-edge thriller about an Artificial Intelligence takeover, written in consultation with leading AI and cybersecurity experts. During a routine overnight update at the headquarters of a major UK telecoms giant, two IT workers unknowingly set something terrifying in motion. They've started an LCE - an AI Loss of Control Event. Over the course of one night, a handful of staff race to regain control as forces far beyond the building begin to close in. What’s been unleashed threatens to change everything — and soon there may be no way to put it back. This is a very a real and disastrous phenomenon, and it could happen to us very soon. Wraith , a 4 episode BBC radio drama / podcast, is most excellent and, god forbid, could end up becoming a warning documentary within a year or so. It's fascinating to see how the AI uses all of its capabilities, deep fakes, connections, and even conspiracy-laden minds of people. None of it is currently brought together in a c...

Why Devices Sometimes Feel "Buzzy"

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Oh wow, I've always wondered what that feeling was and here is Professor Hannah Fry explaining it all. 28 May 2026 You can feel it on other people's skin too!  If they hold a charging phone or tablet while sitting on a bed or somewhere with their feet off the ground (so they aren't themselves grounded) and you keep your feet on the ground and gently stroke their skin with your finger - you will feel them "buzzing"  (as long as you're both sweaty enough of course...)

The Grounds For Voting Green

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UPDATED 20th July, 2026: "AI" generated images replaced, see A Note About Those AI Generated "Greens NZ" Images I'm a Greens NZ voter, have been for quite a long time. I like their people, policies, and process. I have voted for other parties, sometimes for a very specific policy, and even once because I really liked the person which, according to most political pundits, is actually how most people vote - people they recognise and know wearing the colours they associate with. On some social media thingy (Mastodon via CloudIslandNZ I think), I read the following article and it got me thinking, what is it about the Green NZ policies that everyday New Zealanders would / should / could think about. Just saying, "Vote Green", for most people is a big turn off as it, well, it just doesn't ask that glorious question , why? The case for voting Green I’m not a member of the Green Party, but they're getting my vote. Here’s why. by Simon Wilson, Jun ...

Do We Live Better Than Medieval Royalty?

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[UPDATED] Listen to an audio summary of this post and all the outbound links, created using "AI", enjoy. It's an almost common phrase, "We live better than a king of old!" Ok, let's do some a lot of searching and see if that's true in any sense at all BUT first ... Some definitions ... "We all" Almost exclusively this is white, middle-class / middle-level, in the top 10-15%, sort of people. Also, European or of European descent, i.e. those that think being a medieval king is a thing to emulate. "live" Doing our general stuff but not one-off things like wars, marriages, and deaths. Think of it as the life we live on a Tuesday afternoon. "better" Hmmm, I think this is a combination of ease, ability, availability, and cost. "Medieval" The medieval period , also known as the Middle Ages or the Dark Ages, began around 476 A.D. and ended between 1400 and 1450. The term was first used by 15th-century scholars to descri...

The Difference Between One Million And One Billion

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It feels like a billion is just a bit bigger than a million. Obviously it's bigger but it fits on the same scale as a million, surely. It doesn't. A billion is so so so much bigger than a million. I've trawled the internet finding graphics and videos that show the VAST difference between one million and one billion. Oh, and just to finish with a different misconception about space starting with the classic opening line from the great Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy : “Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.” < 64: Always get explicit consent 66: Ask that question >

"Right Wing" Comedians

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Too many people comfortably plump themselves into an army of one type or another . Surrounded by those that sound like you, listen to you intently whilst nodding, and echo your thoughts on why the fight is a good fight and that the other side are such bad terrible people. I used to be more like that than I am nowadays ... hmmmm, aren't we humans meant to become more conservative and reactionary as we age, strange Mike. These thoughts have me thinking of two UK comedians that have been tagged as "right wing", which is putting them into an army for the benefit of someone but, I suspect, not them. First up,  Simon Evans who makes me laugh when he's talking about his family, kids, and life in Brighton. He then hit my ears big time with: Simon Evans Goes to Market , has had six seasons, delighting audiences with his witty and insightful take on the comedically unpromising territory of economics, all of which prove among the most popular downloads on the Sounds App. On the...

5 Common Logical Fallacies and How to Spot Them

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I want to run through something important but often overlooked in our daily conversations, debates, and even our own thinking: logical fallacies . Understanding logical fallacies is like having a mental toolkit for spotting weak arguments, manipulation, and plain old fuzzy thinking. It's about sharpening your critical thinking skills and navigating the complex landscape of information and persuasion we encounter every day. In this "long read," we're going to break down five common logical fallacies (with another five in a follow-up post ), look at where they came from (or how they were identified), explore their potential downsides, and, most importantly, provide actionable strategies for spotting them and adjusting our own thinking. The Cheat Sheet Alright, here is the [tl;dr] "too long; didn't read and can't wait" version of all ten fallacies at a glance for those of us who need the shorthand to get back to the rugby or the...